The Candidate List is ECHA's register of Substances of Very High Concern under REACH. If your article contains a listed substance above 0.1% by weight, it can trigger supply-chain communication (Article 33), ECHA notification, and a SCIP submission.
This is a hand-picked selection of well-known SVHCs, chosen to illustrate the substance families covered here. It is not the complete Candidate List and is not authoritative. The full, current list is maintained by ECHA and updated about twice a year — always consult the official ECHA Candidate List (source link in the table) before relying on SVHC status. See data sources & licensing.
| Substance | CAS | Reason | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) | 85-68-7 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Plasticizer for PVC, acrylics |
| Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) | 117-81-7 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Plasticizer for PVC |
| Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) | 84-74-2 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Plasticizer, adhesives |
| Anthracene | 120-12-7 | PBT | Source of dyestuff |
| Alkanes, C10-13, chloro (Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins) | 85535-84-8 | PBT / vPvB | Flame retardant, plasticizer in PVC |
| Cobalt dichloride | 7646-79-9 | Carcinogenic / Reprotoxic | Moisture indicator in silica gel |
| Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) | 25637-99-4 | PBT | Flame retardant in HIPS and textiles |
| Sodium dichromate | 7789-12-0 | Carcinogenic / Mutagenic / Reprotoxic | Chrome-tanning of leather, corrosion inhibitor |
| Diarsenic trioxide | 1327-53-3 | Carcinogenic | Weed killers, timber preservatives, glass |
| Diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) | 84-69-5 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Plasticiser for cellulose, polyacrylate |
| Lead chromate | 7758-97-6 | Carcinogenic / Reprotoxic | Pigments and dyes in paints |
| Boric acid | 10043-35-3 | Reprotoxic | Detergents, adhesives, flame retardants, glass |
| Cobalt(II) sulphate | 10124-43-3 | Carcinogenic / Reprotoxic | Production of chemicals, catalysts, electroplating |
| Chromium trioxide | 1333-82-0 | Carcinogenic / Mutagenic | Metal finishing, wood preservatives |
| Strontium chromate | 7789-06-2 | Carcinogenic | Inhibitor, pigments, paints, varnishes |
| 1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) | 872-50-4 | Reprotoxic | Coatings, cleaning products, agrochemicals |
| Bis(pentabromophenyl) ether (DecaBDE) | 1163-19-5 | PBT / vPvB | Flame retardant |
| 4-Nonylphenol, branched and linear | — | Endocrine | Surfactant precursor |
| Lead monoxide (Lead oxide) | 1317-36-8 | Reprotoxic | Lead compounds, glass, batteries |
| Cadmium | 7440-43-9 | Carcinogenic / Equivalent concern | Batteries, pigments, coatings |
| Cadmium oxide | 1306-19-0 | Carcinogenic / Equivalent concern | Batteries, pigments |
| Pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) | 335-67-1 | Reprotoxic / PBT | Fluorosurfactant |
| Perfluorononan-1-oic acid (PFNA) and its sodium and ammonium salts | 375-95-1 | Reprotoxic / PBT | Fluorosurfactant |
| 4,4'-Isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A; BPA) | 80-05-7 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Polycarbonate and epoxy resin production |
| Perfluorohexane-1-sulphonic acid and its salts (PFHxS) | — | vPvB | Fluorosurfactant |
| Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) | 556-67-2 | PBT / vPvB | Cosmetics, cleaning products |
| Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) | 541-02-6 | PBT / vPvB | Cosmetics, cleaning products |
| Dodecamethylcyclohexasiloxane (D6) | 540-97-6 | PBT / vPvB | Cosmetics, cleaning products |
| Lead | 7439-92-1 | Reprotoxic | Metals, welding, polymers |
| Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCP) | 85535-85-9 | PBT / vPvB | Flame retardants, plasticisers |
| 2,2',6,6'-Tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol (TBBPA) | 79-94-7 | Carcinogenic | Reactive/additive flame retardant in polymer resins |
| 4,4'-Sulphonyldiphenol (bisphenol S) | 80-09-1 | Reprotoxic / Endocrine | Pulp, paper, textile, leather, chemicals |
| Melamine | 108-78-1 | Equivalent concern | Polymers, resins, coatings, adhesives |
A selection of well-known Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) drawn from the REACH Candidate List, chosen to illustrate the substance families this knowledge base covers. This is NOT the full Candidate List and is not authoritative. The complete, current list is maintained by ECHA — always consult it directly before relying on SVHC status. CAS numbers shown for these substances also appear in EU harmonised classification (CLP Annex VI). Source: European Chemicals Agency, https://echa.europa.eu/.
Authorities publish this as long tables and PDFs. Here you can search by name or CAS number and filter by reason in one place. That is the start of making compliance data genuinely usable rather than just available.
Reading the "reason" column#
- CMR: carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction.
- PBT / vPvB: persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (or very persistent and very bioaccumulative).
- Endocrine: endocrine-disrupting properties.
See SVHC for the full definition and obligations.